Auckland sailors are preparing to trade the workday grind for short-course racing, with a new series bringing five one-design keelboat classes together on the Waitematā this summer.
The City of Sails Sprints is a collaboration between Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club, Ponsonby Cruising Club, and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, designed to deliver fast, regular racing while making better use of club resources and crew time.
Racing gets under way on Tuesday, 29 September, just two days after daylight saving begins, and continues through to 1 April 2027, apart from a short mid-summer break.
The Young 88, Stewart 34, MRX, Etchells and Elliott 7 classes will take part, with fleets racing fortnightly and alternating their sprint racing with more traditional Wednesday Harbour racing.
Racing starts at 6pm on the harbour waters directly east and west of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, with up to three windward-leeward races scheduled each evening. Each race is targeted to last around 20 minutes, creating a format built around quick starts, close racing and decisive tactical sailing.
Special rule modifications will also allow on-water coaching, adding a learning element to the competitive format and allowing crews to develop their skills while racing.
The series has been created in response to the challenges of split-fleet calendars, with the three clubs pooling volunteer race-management teams, mark boats and safety assets.
The approach is designed to reduce operational costs, avoid calendar clashes and get more boats and crews racing regularly.
Each evening will also wrap up early enough for crews to head ashore, debrief and compare notes before the weekend arrives.
With entries closing at the end of September, skippers and crews now have time to finalise their plans, get their boats ready and lock in their summer sailing schedules.
Full series details, the Notice of Race, entry information and crew opportunities are available here.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
